Results vs Relationships?

Posted on the 28 November 2010 by Troy | Filed in Business | 15 Comments

Fluff in business relationships What matters most in your business?

“My bottom line”
“ROI”
“Growth”
“Keeping my costs as low as possible”
“Sales”
“Leader in my industry”

These are 6 answers from 6 different people. 3 of them are small business owners, 2 from medium-sized companies and 1 executive from a Fortune 300 company.

What is the one answer you probably would have expected but is no where to be found?

Relationships.

What I find very interesting is the amount of talk that is happening about relationships and caring about your customers/clients, and not nearly as much on the above statements. Now let me say this LOUD and CLEAR – I believe that relationships are extremely important.

But maybe there is a little too much focus on them and not enough on the business itself.

Have we become so clouded on how to develop and nurture relationships that we are losing sight of what really matters? Results!

Argue with me if you want, but if at the end of the day you’re not delivering the right results, a company will cut their losses (YOU) no matter what your relationship is.

So as I said above, yes, relationships are important. They can lead to leads, depth, and more loyalty than not (I say “more loyalty” because when it comes to the bottom line of a business, loyalty can quickly be thrown out the window). I just don’t believe that should be your number one focus.

If you asked your client what was more important, results or relationships, what would he or she say? I’m guessing results.

I think finding a nice balance is the key. And by balance, I mean haveing a professional relationship with proper and constant communication, while focusing your time and energy on results and growth.

Some may say, “Relationships will lead to trust and trust will lead to more opportunity”. And they’re right. But guess what? If you deliver results on a constant basis, it will lead to MORE trust and MORE opportunity.

So let’s recap. Relationships are very important and always will be, but don’t get clouded by all the fluffiness out there. Focus on having and nurturing professional relationships with your clients, but don’t forget what really matters – results!

Your Friend,

Troy Claus

“To do more for the world than the world does for you, that is success” -Henry Ford-

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Tags: business, relationships, results

Author : Troy

Director of Business Development at JumpPoint, Product Developer at Clarity for the boss, a supercharged Speaker and the founder of The Entrepreneurs Journey series. The secret to success is stored in my beard, but I will share it if asked nicely.

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Barry

Great post Troy! Sometimes it seems we (meaning I) can get so caught up in the writings about the need to build relationships, we forget what really matters most to our clients--results! I believe strongly in building the relationship, and for me tends to be the most fun. But I read a line by Donald Trump once.

He said "It is more important to be respected then liked".

Results bring respect and probably a bunch of people who want to be in a relationship with you.

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Troy

Thank you very much Barry. I love that line by Donald Trump, makes so much sense. There are a lot of "talkers" out there and theres one really easy way to separate yourself from them... Give solid results, because results speak louder than words.

Cheers,

Jacob Varghese

What do you think about the relationship building ability (showcased in the brands social timeline/feed) being presented as an extension of customer service? I'm likely to buy from a place that can display upfront, its transparent and proactive customer service abilities. Don't you think such a display will not only retain older clients but also encourage newer ones?

Hey Jacob,

Thanks for the comment, you make some good points, however, the percentage of brands that are online showcasing this well is still very small. I do think having good customer service will help retain customers, but displaying it - maybe not as much. If a company defines its desired "result" to be great customer service, then that shows that results still drive business. Relationships are a key part of the equation, no question about it, but without achieving results, we wouldn't be in business. Thanks for stopping by.

Justin Goldsborough

Interesting post, Troy. Do you really think relationships and results are mutually exclusive? See, I would argue that relationships are hard to measure, which is why they aren't front and center as the answer to question you asked at the start of the post. But don't relationships often lead to results?

Cheers, JG.

Great point Justin,

Thanks for the comment. I think relationships can lead to opportunity, but the work thats put in will lead to the results. And depending on how good those results are, that can lead to more opportunity. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how good your relationship is with someone, if you don't deliver, you're gone. I believe relationships are a key element to success but I feel (in some cases, not all) that line of professionalism is being crossed and businesses are trying to become friends/pals with their clients and that can lead to a dangerous comfort zone. Thanks again for the comment Justin.

Adam

You did a great point here Troy. Yes, relationships are now much more important in the business than in the past. It is simply a great way how to leverage your business effectively.

But as you mentioned results are what is important after all.

Cheers Adam,

And thats the point I'm trying to make here. Relationships are important but they can only take you so far. Ultimately the results is whats going to lead to bigger and better things.

Richard meyer

Excellent post. It all starts with the objectives of the brand and brand touch points. You can form a community but if you let customers down in other areas what you do on social media is mental masturbation. Too often marketers believe the hype around social media and believe a Facebook page is going to save their brands

Thanks for stopping by Richard. You make an excellent point here, there is SO MUCH hype around what a FB page can do for a brand. I think (aside from Relationships vs Results) some businesses haven't realized social media platforms are tools to enhance an existing strategy, not the magic potion to success.

Justice Wordlaw

You made some really great points here troy on how to keep your clients at a good balance. Having an understanding of the results you need to have, to grow a successful business is important but also having a good relationship is key. It is just understanding what you have to do to be successful at both. Great Post.

Thanks Justice. The key word in your comment is understanding. You have to understand what the right mix is if you really want to achieve optimal success.

Danny Brown

Great points, mate, and I know what you mean. Yes, like you say (and as we help clients with), relationships are definitely important.

But at some stage, relationships are going to have to move from the "we're all pals together" to seeing a return - and no amount of best friend ties will matter if you're losing money, either for yourself or your clients.

Cheers!

Cheers Danny,

Thats really the point I'm trying to make, not that relationships aren't important (because they are), just that at the end of the day, results will always take precedence, so allocate the appropriate time to developing both.

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